“Outrageous and top-notch terror.” ― Vogue on SHALL WE TELL THE PRESIDENT? “The only difference between this book and The Day of the Jackal is that Archer is a better writer.” ― Chicago Tribune on SHALL WE TELL THE PRESIDENT? “Authentic, literate, and scary.” ― Cosmopolitan on SHALL WE TELL THE PRESIDENT? “The countdown is the thing; the pace, the pursuit, the what-next, the how-is-it-going-to-come-out…” ― Boston Globe on SHALL WE TELL THE PRESIDENT? “Holds the reader in a vicelike grip.” ― Penthouse on SHALL WE TELL THE PRESIDENT? “A compelling read.” ― Newsday on A PRISONER OF BIRTH “Dynamite…plot twists and a slam-bang finale.” ― The Washington Post on A PRISONER OF BIRTH “Archer plots with skill, and keeps you turning the pages.” ― The Boston Globe on A PRISONER OF BIRTH “Thoroughly enjoyable.” ― Publishers Weekly on A PRISONER OF BIRTH “Compulsively readable.” ― Library Journal on A PRISONER OF BIRTH “Gripping.” ― The Vancouver Sun on A PRISONER OF BIRTH “An exercise in wish fulfillment. The good may suffer, but the bad will get theirs in the end. The fun is watching it unfold.” ― St. Petersburg Times (Florida) on A PRISONER OF BIRTH “Archer plots with skill, and keeps you turning the pages.” ― The Boston Globe on CAT O'NINE TALES “The economy and precision of Archer's prose never fails to delight. The criminal doesn't always get away with his crime and justice doesn't always prevail, but the reader wins with each and every story.” ― Publishers Weekly (starred review) on CAT O'NINE TALES “A worthy successor to The Da Vinci Code .” ―Liz Smith on FALSE IMPRESSION, New York Post “Archer is back in top form with [this] latest thriller.” ― Library Journal (starred review) on FALSE IMPRESSION “Thoroughly imagined...entertaining...thrilling.” ― Denver Post on FALSE IMPRESSION “Murder and a high-stakes art-world theft are cleverly blended [in this] exciting...global thrill-ride.” ― Vancouver Sun on FALSE IMPRESSION “Sail along from one high crime to the next....Archer is a great plotter....[and] in the middle of the action, [he] drops research gems.” ―Liz Smith on FALSE IMPRESSION, New York Post The first novel in the Clifton Chronicles, an ambitious new series that tells the story of a family across generations and oceans, from heartbreak to triumph, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Archer The epic tale of Harry Clifton's life begins in 1920, with the words "I was told that my father was killed in the war." A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father and expects to continue on at the shipyard, until a remarkable gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys' school, and his life will never be the same again... "If there were a nobel prize for storytelling, Archer would win." ― Daily Telegraph (London) As Harry enters into adulthood, he finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question: Was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line? From the ravages of the Great War and the docks of working-class England to the streets of 1940 New York City and the outbreak of the Second World War, this is a powerful journey that will bring to life one hundred years of history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined. "Archer is a master entertainer." ― Time JEFFREY ARCHER was educated at Oxford University. He served five years as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons and has served twenty-seven years as a Member of the House of Lords. Now published in 97 countries and more than 37 languages, all of his novels and short story collections―including Kane & Abel , Only Time Will Tell and This Was a Man ―have been international bestsellers. Jeffrey is married with two sons and three grandchildren, and lives in London, Cambridge and Majorca. Read more
Features & Highlights
From the internationally bestselling author Jeffrey Archer comes
Only Time Will Tell
, the first in the ambitious Clifton Chronicles series that tells the story of one family across generations, across oceans, from heartbreak to triumph.
The epic tale of Harry Clifton's life begins in 1920, with the words "I was told that my father was killed in the war." A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father, but he learns about life on the docks from his uncle, who expects Harry to join him at the shipyard once he's left school. But then an unexpected gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys' school, and his life will never be the same again. As he enters into adulthood, Harry finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question, was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who spent his whole life on the docks, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line? This introductory novel in Archer's engrossing series The Clifton Chronicles includes a cast of colorful characters and takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford or join the navy and go to war with Hitler's Germany. From the docks of working-class England to the bustling streets of 1940 New York City,
Only Time Will Tell
takes readers on a journey through to future volumes, which will bring to life one hundred years of recent history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined.
Customer Reviews
Rating Breakdown
★★★★★
30%
(14K)
★★★★
25%
(11.6K)
★★★
15%
(7K)
★★
7%
(3.3K)
★
23%
(10.7K)
Most Helpful Reviews
★★★★★
1.0
AGCJYHGH3PHOKVMXXRRI...
✓ Verified Purchase
Reasonable story let down by writing
I gave this a three star rating two thirds of the way through the book. Having finished it, I have revised my rating to one star. The story starts out pleasing if somewhat predictable and familiar. The characters are equally predictable. That's okay to begin with, but eventually they are more caricatures than characters. They are either insufferably bad or insufferably noble. Their actions are frequently completely implausible; all seem intent on taking the path which will do them the most harm over the path that will help.
The changing point of view is extremely tedious, repetitive and adds nothing. The author insists on telling exactly the same story from the point of view of several different characters. In essence we hear the protagonist's story at the beginning, then the rest of the book (until right at the end) is filled with the same story told several times. Within the changing point of view is more changing point of view, with head hopping between characters. The reader is constantly told how a character feels or what they are thinking rather than this taking place through dialogue or action. If it is demonstrated through either then we are still told what they are thinking or feeling after it. The writing is amateur.
From the opening pages, one of the main character's actions beggar belief (Harry's mother). Her reasons for having sex with a complete stranger just before her wedding aren't particularly true to the times, or very believable. Actually, just about every character's actions beggar belief. Some are rather supernatural, such as the character who decides he no longer has anything to live for and brings on a heart attack - but not before he has taken the time to put on his Victoria Cross. The same character keeps a secret it would be in everyone's interest to disclose immediately until a wedding scene where he announces said secret which is extremely uncomfortable for all involved to the world, rather than do it privately before then and spare them the embarrassment - all of this is supposed to be for their own good.
In the end I was skimming this. Again, this could have been a good story but it is so poorly written and edited that instead it is just another example of the contempt major publishing houses show to readers. Once a writer has a market, major publishers will publish anything they write. An unknown writer would not have got this published; neither should have Jeffrey Archer.
Also, this ends with a cliffhanger. Readers interested in this book should be warned it can't be read independently. Readers are expected to commit to the entire series.
62 people found this helpful
★★★★★
1.0
AF2B7L5AUP6WWKMHKZEQ...
✓ Verified Purchase
Soap opera plot - fails on genetics and Miranda
Reviewers of this book must have low expectations to rate this over 4 stars. Of course soap operas on TV have a large following - this book is for them. I must say that the writing style is interesting by telling the same history from the perspectives of 5 people. However a silly story told 5 times is still silly. All of the crises outcomes are the only possibilities to keep the characters contained within the plot. The culmination of 350+ pages comes when Harry is about to marry Emma but cannot because he may be her brother - an outcome telegraphed on about page 80. The reason that we are given for Harry being the illegitimate child of Emma's father is that her father, her brother (Giles) and Harry are all color blind, therefore Harry and Giles must b brothers. Unfortunately, the author has not done his genetics homework or he would know that male parents cannot pass on color blindness to their male offsprings. The genetic trail is through the female chromosome. This fact is taught in elementary biology in high school but Sir Jeffrey must have been absent for that lesson. Maybe this genetic bombshell will be revealed in books 2 or 3? Someone tell me about it because I won't be reading them, even free from the library.
Finally we have the cliffhanger of an ending - Harry being arrested for murder after he assumed the identity of another deceased seaman. A bit tacky, a gimmick to get people to buy the next book of the 'chronicles'. Well, I said before it was a book written for the soap opera set.
Oh, I'm glad he received his Miranda warning when he was arrested in 1939. I guess Sir Jeffrey also didn't attend the American history class that discussed the Supreme Court case that led to the introduction of this warning in the 1960s.
22 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
AHDSBQESA4SIV7IEGDL5...
✓ Verified Purchase
Very Good read but......
I must say this is my first exposure to Jeffrey Archer and I was quite surprised. The story centers around the Clifton family, and their survival after a tragedy hits their family. I will be vague so there are no spoilers in this review. I found Archer's style very easy to read, his descriptive terms allows the reader to feel like they are right there in the middle of the story.
The main plot is regarding Harry, the son of a mother who gives up everything to be sure that her son HAS everything but life puts up some gut wrenching road blocks. This book is full of twists, surprises, loves that didn't work, loves that should not have been, lies, deceits, etc.
This is the first in a line of books by Archer which take you on a trip into the Clifton family saga. I strongly suggest you read them in order:
1. Only Time Will Tell
2. Sins of the Father
3. Best Kept Secret
4. Be Careful what you wish for
5. Mightier than the sword
6. Cometh the Hour
FYI for you, the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was the ending of this book. Once you read it , you will completely understand. IMHO this is a great read, definelty worth your time.
6 people found this helpful
★★★★★
1.0
AFUDNVIX4TBDP4ZYPCRC...
✓ Verified Purchase
Poorly written soap opera
Lazy writing and poor enough along the way, but then on the last page the author describes a character's being given a "Miranda" warning in New York more than two decades before the U.S. Supreme Court decided the Miranda case.
5 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
AFZUQCC3IRVA3STUX7NO...
✓ Verified Purchase
Who is Harry really?
Maisie married Arthur Clifton and gave birth to a son named Harry. The only problem is that she did not lose her virginity to Arthur but to another stranger in a one time encounter. Unfortunately, Arthur does not know this and Maisie confides in her mom who tells her not to say anything. They will be getting married in a few weeks so no need for him to know. When Harry is a little over three his dad does not come home and seems to have disappeared. Maisie is besides herself and goes looking for him but cannot find any answers so they have to presume he is dead.
Since Maisie is living with her mother and father and Stan (her brother) they were barely making ends meet even with Arthur's salary. Now that he is gone Maisie is forced to look for work. She decides to get a job and is trained as a waitress in a "tea shop" that is owned by Miss Tilly. She enjoys the work and the customers as well as Miss Tilly seem to love her. Maisie is a fast learner and we read how she is willing to take sacrifices and do almost anything to help her son. (certain things she and her son would not necessarily be proud of)
As Harry is getting older, his Uncle is trying to influence him not to stay in school. Start working on the docks like he and his dad did. He says the money would come in handy and who needs to go to school??? His mother wants him to continue his education and stay in school. One day, Maisie discovers marks on his body and Harry confesses he has not been attending school and was beaten. After the incident and with much help from Jack Tar (someone who will play a very important part of his life), Mr. Holcombe (his teacher) and Miss Monday (the head of the chorus) and Reverend Watts he decides to work hard and stay in school.
He has the voice of an angel and gets a full scholarship to a boarding school. When he arrives he meets two boys Giles and Deakins and the three all from different backgrounds grow to become best friends. We learn about the school, how hard they must work to keep good grades so both Harry and Deakins will be able to attend thru scholarships as Giles comes from a wealthy family.
From the first time Giles invites the boys to his home for tea to celebrate his twelfth birthday we notice that Mr. Barrington is not impressed with Harry. Both Giles mother and sisters think he is lovely and very polite. Whenever they are together Mr. Barrington seems annoyed or uninterested in Harry and does not even hide it.
If you have read Kane and Abel it will remind you of that kind of story. Two brothers one legitimate and one illegitimate who learn things about each other that they never knew. We will uncover lies, secrets and surprises that you never see coming. It is an excellent read although it is over six hundred pages but what I did not like or realize is this is just book one in a series by Mr. Archer. I hope the others will keep me as interested as this one did.
3 people found this helpful
★★★★★
2.0
AHXN3ITSQPJ22VBC6ZWE...
✓ Verified Purchase
ALERT! No Ending!
The writing was very good as you would expect from this author. At first, the story told from different people's prospective was interesting until it was not- a few too many prospectives in my opinion. Then comes the ending. But wait- there is no ending, but a cliff hanger! Even in a series I would expect that each book would stand on its own. No way will I spend my time, much less my money, on the next book to find out that it has no ending either! I wish I had read these reviews before reading the book, but was excited about a book from Jeffrey Archer and all the 4 & 5 star reviews. Mr Archer should be ashamed (IMHO).
3 people found this helpful
★★★★★
2.0
AEYWJ25WOXHUPKJKQHO4...
✓ Verified Purchase
You might want to think three times before you buy this book
This is a warning to Jeffrey Archer fans. I have been a solid fan for years and have never been so disappointed in one, or I should say two, of his books...until now. I don't remember reading any individual novels that, even if they were part of a series, could not stand on their own. Last trilogy I read was Hunger Games and each book was awesome! In this case, I resent the fact that each book in this trilogy is not a stand alone book. After the abrupt ending of the first book, Only Time will Tell, I had to buy the second book. And not because the first book was so wonderful, but because there was no respectable end to the first book. I just finished the 2nd book, The Sins of the Father, and now I'm feeling suckered into having to buy the 3rd book. There is no integrity to an ending that is NOT an ending to an integral part of the plot of THAT book...and you now have to buy the 3rd book just to read the next paragraph that should have been the ending for the 2nd book. This is disrespectful to the reader. I already bought the 3rd book, but I'm not happy about any of this. I'm confident of some kind of ending and I hope it will all be worth it, but somehow I doubt it. The story is okay, definitely not a page-turner, not that strong to be a trilogy in the first place.
3 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
AHZS4EEPZWZI3JUYPZKP...
✓ Verified Purchase
SUPERB. BUY.
An absorbing tale of well developed characters who affect the protagonist, young Harry, in an unpredictable kaleidoscope of love, greed, rivalry, honor. So impressed by this first volume, that I, therefore, purchased the entire set of the Clifton Chronicles. Rather than buying the first volume as a barometer of gaging literary excellence, I strongly recommend purchasing the complete series for a better bargain. The author possesses an innate deft brilliance highlighted with a seamless eloquence enticing the reader to shut the world out of all distractions. Thoroughly enjoyable.
2 people found this helpful
★★★★★
3.0
AFX32IGKH73YHSKNWG4I...
✓ Verified Purchase
Someone missed HS biology
The writing is pretty good, Telling the same story from multiple perspectives is tiresome and the story plods along at a snails pace. And the story is the stuff of soap opera, For me the fatal flaw is his lack of bothering to do basic research. Barrington suspects Clifton is his son because all of the men in the family have been color blind for generations, Color blindness is an X linked recessive trait, It can be passed by a man to his daughter who will carry the trait but not be color blind. She can pass to a son who will be color blind or to a daughter who will carry the trait and not be affected. It can never be passed on from a father to son because the defective gene is on the X chromosome, Men pass on a Y chromosome to their sons. This is High School biology, I am appalled that the author did not bother to research this on Wikipedia before making up the story line. I don't mind a good soap or a slow read, but do your damn research.
2 people found this helpful
★★★★★
1.0
AEZBVMSACW26337KG75O...
✓ Verified Purchase
Missing pages!!
Imagine my dismay when I read to page 260 only to find that pages 261 through 292 we're missing. I am more than a little annoyed.